When does seeing people that are not there start? Going through and moving everything has been occurring for some time, and is quite draining... recently she sees people that are not there... any insight is appreciated...

6 Answers

Sorry, it's so rough. It can be exhausting to supervise and care for a person with dementia. The medication did help my LO. It seemed to make her more content, but, she still had her moments. She takes several meds now to address her anxiety, depression and agitation. If she's not doing better, with the med, I'd discuss it with her doctor. Sometimes, they have to change or adjust it.

My LO liked to move things around too. Of course, she had no memory of doing it. She would even disconnect the cable box and put it in the kitchen cupboards. lol I looked for it for over an hour, before stumbling on it.

I hope that you have plenty of help. It does get to be more challenging when they are wheelchair bound and incontinent.

Can you get respite time? I'd try to take breaks and have some private time.Oh, also, if she likes to keep her hands moving, you might check on some activity toys for those with dementia and other disabilities that allows them to use their hands. Some have zippers, velcro, buttons, etc. These toys allow them to keep their hands busy. I never used them with my LO, because my LO was never able to do an activity without direct supervision. Even then, she lost interest in a few seconds.

Thank you for not judging...her psychiatrist prescribes Zoloft and Ativan to calm her and to help her sleep( Ativan is low dose only before bed). They say to go with the flow and not to engage...so much easier said , than done! In all honesty I don’t know if I even agree with what the psych and other doctor says, a lot of times I think the meds make the symptoms worse but how many times can the change them? We all realize she will never get better... however one of us is against outside care, and I’m not that one... I’m beginning to wonder if it would help everyone involved...sigh...

Wornout19, it is overwhelming. Feel free to rant here. No one will judge you!

Is she on any medications for the confusion? What do her doctors suggest?

Have you considered the option of placing her in a care center with an appropriate level of care? This is not like your loved one has measles and you can all tough it out until she gets better. Dementia progresses. It gets worse. She is not going to "get better."

She is at home, with three of us caring for her...the confusion is unbelievable, and I do believe to a point this is why she goes through everything. It takes hours sometimes days to get things back to some sort of order, but by then she has torn 3 more things apart...she has the habit of unplugging things too...freezers or the refrigerator. She has taken the washing machine apart on several occasions... she is almost always unpleasant to be around either arguing or being flat out nasty... doesn’t eat or sleep right...the list is endless. In a way I guess I’m just ranting a bit but my gosh this is so overwhelming...

Wornout19, there are about 50 kinds of dementia. Some involve hallucinations early on, some have hallucinations in later stages, and some don't usually include hallucinations at all. Delusions ("the president bought me dinner") are common to many kinds of dementia, in various stages.

Once I found my husband standing in front of my open closet. I asked him jokingly if he was looking for a shirt he could borrow. "I'm just seeing what is what," was his reply. When everything is so confusing and unfamiliar it is common for dementia patients to want to sort things or look at things or move them around.

So there really isn't a good answer to your question. If the doctors have a pretty good idea of what kind of dementia your loved one has, they may be able to provide some guidance.

Does your loved one live with you? If it is becoming too draining to care for her where she is, perhaps it is time to consider a care center.

Wornout, this is all part of the process of dementia. My mom would see pictures on the wall there weren't there and tell me that she saw old co-workers pushing brooms, and insisted that she saw several past presidents (one had a concert at the end of the street, one brought her dinner from a restaurant, etc.) She would move small pictures and hide her TV remote under a Kleenex so no one could "steal" it.

I know what you are going through. Is she living with you or alone? My mom lived alone and finally, I had to move her to a memory care unit for her own safety. Please keep us informed.

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